


Limits

by Veresiine



Category: MapleStory
Genre: And assorted overused plot devices, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-17 16:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16520393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veresiine/pseuds/Veresiine
Summary: An injury while training near Ellinia gives Luminous and Mercedes some time to discuss things.Assumed to be set at some point after my earlier fic, but can be read independently.I'm not even sure what happened to the plot, and at this point, I'm afraid to ask.





	1. Chapter 1

It was difficult to tell who had the upper hand in the spar at first.

  
Mercedes was in her element. Luminous could barely keep track of her as she darted and flitted around, sometimes seeming almost one with the trees and vines. She moved with grace and speed he wished he had a chance to appreciate; beautiful and unpredictable. Since it was difficult if not impossible to tell where the next barrage would come from, he too stayed constantly on the move.

  
Mercedes might have had her elven affinity for nature, but he _knew_ these woods like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where the trees were, where he could safely teleport to, and where he might be at risk of losing his footing.

  
It felt good to test his skill against someone of similar ability. That said, he didn't want to hurt Mercedes, so he was holding back from some skills that were more likely to cause serious harm, and he suspected she was, as well. Execution strikes were for monsters, not allies. They were far enough from town that a serious injury -- even with Mercedes' elven resilience and Luminous's healing abilities -- had a higher chance than either of them would have liked of causing permanent harm or death.

  
He knew he was heavily favoring Light magic, but he felt confident enough that he could keep things under control, and he didn't want to cause too much damage to the surroundings. He only felt a bit of guilt over his choice. Mercedes had specifically requested that he _not_ avoid Dark magic, so she would have more practice against it by the time they faced the Black Mage again. So he was weaving just enough Dark skills in to fulfill her request and keep himself in balance.

  
Of course, Mercedes had no such problems, and holding herself back less was probably why, several minutes in, she was able to keep him on the defensive more often than not.

  
He just barely teleported out of the way of a charging spectral unicorn in time and for a heartbeat he worried that he was losing control -- not of his magic, but of the situation. But then he saw Mercedes, with both feet on the ground and in a stance less conductive to quick movement, and seized the opportunity, sending a barrage of light at her.

  
As he was focused on that, he forgot about the elemental knight she had called to her side earlier, and ducked out of the way just in time as it attacked him from behind. Meanwhile, Mercedes had leapt away from his attack and seemed to be readying some sort of swirling leaf attack.

  
He teleported behind a tree for cover and paused for an instant to take a steadying breath.

  
Unfortunately for him, the tree wasn't _enough_ cover for an attack like that, and some stray projectiles grazed him before he teleported out of the way once again. It stung, but other than one track across his knuckles, he doubted any of them had drawn blood.

  
He shot out spears of light in the general direction of where he thought Mercedes was, not bothering to aim. He didn't want to appear any more backed into a corner than he felt, and he suspected that waiting any longer between attacks would give that away.

  
The elemental knight attacked him again, this time from the side, and he teleported out of the way, only to need to immediately teleport again away from projectiles raining from the sky.

  
He was definitely losing control of the battle, now. He was getting closer than he would have liked to the house. He trusted Mercedes not to shoot at the house and risk hurting Lania or Penny -- both of whom were staying inside -- but he would have felt much safer if he and Mercedes were deeper in the woods rather than on the very edge of the clearing. The problem was, he wasn't sure how to make time to reposition through all the dodging and teleporting.

  
His best chance was probably to briefly distract or stun Mercedes, then teleport past her, so when she resumed her attacks, she would be pushing him further into the woods rather than away from them.

  
If only he had an opening...

  
He probably wouldn't have one for a while. There were _two_ elemental knights now, one on either side of him, and he caught a brief glimpse of Mercedes leaping overhead. He teleported away without thinking, then cursed himself as he realized he'd entered the clearing.

  
He needed to turn things around. Now.

  
A bright flash of light might be able to give him the opening he needed. He wouldn't have time to dodge but if he could distract both Mercedes and the knights, he wouldn't need to. He raised his arms and called upon his power to send out a blinding wave  of light.

  
As it faded, he saw Mercedes tumble from the air into the base of a tree.

  
She didn't get up.

 

* * *

 

 

_Ouch._

  
Mercedes rolled over and pulled herself up to her knees, wincing at the pain in her back and shoulder where she had landed. She was struggling for breath, but she could work through it. She wasn't seriously hurt. She'd landed hard enough to have the wind knocked out of her and was probably badly bruised, but she could still fight.

  
"Mercedes!" And there was Luminous, running up to her. He looked nearly panicked, and had dropped anything resembling a combat stance. She lifted her good arm and pointed her bowgun at him. He slowed down, but didn't stop. "Are you all right!?"

  
"I'm fine! Stop stalling and get back to it; I will shoot!" She could barely hear herself, but the look he gave her showed that he had heard her. She wasn't about to give up that easily, and she didn't want his pity! She'd had him cornered! It had been a cheap trick, and she was furious with herself for losing her balance and her place in the air over something as simple as being temporarily blinded.

  
"If you are injured, we can call off this match and --" She loosed a warning shot, intentionally missing him by about a foot. He tensed up and for an instant seemed ready to fight again, before he forced himself back to a more neutral pose.

  
"We. Are NOT. Calling off this match!" She was starting to get her breath back. She grabbed her other bowgun and started to get to her feet, but lifting her weapon sent a spasm of pain through her arm, shoulder, and back, and she flinched and sank to her knees again. Luminous took that opening to rush to her side and hold out a hand offering to take the offending bowgun from her. After a brief consideration, she let him -- to an extent. She would not allow herself to be disarmed and thus did not let go, but she would allow him to carry some of the weight to take some strain off her injured arm until she decided what to do.

  
"Then we could at least take a break. There is no point making any injuries worse." He looked so earnest. She sighed. Even if she wanted to continue the match, he clearly _didn't_ , and she had no interest in fighting him if he wouldn't fight back. She quickly dismissed her knights before they could attack him, and let go of the weapon on her bad side. Luminous carefully set it down off to the side. He seemed about to say something else, but was cut off.

  
"What's going on? Is Mercedes okay!?" Mercedes turned to see Lania running towards her to come up on her other side. She quickly pointed her remaining bowgun down to avoid any possible accidents.

  
"Lania? I thought I told you to stay inside! What if you'd been caught in the crossfire?"

  
"Oh please, Lumi, there are _windows_. I can see when it's safe. But Mercedes, what happened?"

  
"I'm fine!" Mercedes pulled herself up. "Not seriously hurt, anyhow. We were just going to take a break."

  
"Okay, that's a relief. But you both look pretty worn-out. I'll get some snacks and water out for when you two head back inside, okay?" Lania looked between the two of them with concern for a few moments before starting to walk back to the house.

  
"Mercedes, I'm sorry --" Luminous started.

  
"I don't want to hear it." Mercedes holstered her weapon and started to brush some of the leaf litter and dirt off her back, trying not to wince.

  
"Very well. I know you said you're fine, but would you like me to take a look at it, or see about getting a doctor, or --"

  
"No, Luminous. Don't bother. Just... carry my weapon back for me."

  
"Of course." He picked up the bowgun, and she rolled her eyes as she watched him fumble with trying to find the right grip. "But if --"

  
"Don't. Whatever you're going to say, don't." She looked him over, noticing some minor cuts on his hands and face. "We'll head back, take care of ourselves, get some food and rest, and then continue."

  
"If you insist..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally I pick up garbage, but today I deliver. Featuring more Lania and less Luminous than planned, as well as just about every tired, overdone plot device in the book that would fit.

"You don't need to do this, you know," Mercedes told Lania. A few minutes after they had gotten inside, Lania was treating the scrapes on Mercedes' back while Luminous was in the kitchen cleaning up, having already seen to his own cuts and bruises. Mercedes tried not to wince as Lania put a little bit too much pressure on what was probably the deepest of the wounds. Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, she was feeling the effects of that fall a lot more than she initially had been. Nothing was broken, thankfully, but it seemed she'd gotten some scrapes and lacerations in addition to feeling like her entire back and right shoulder were bruised.

  
"Maybe, but it's a lot easier to have someone else do this for you." Lania briefly paused with her hand still over Mercedes' back, and whispered something that sounded vaguely familiar.

  
"I suppose so. What was that?"

  
"Oh, uh... nothing." Mercedes until that point had no reason to distrust Lania, but how embarrassed Lania sounded and the clear lie had her one step away from pulling her shirt and jacket back on and storming out the door.

  
"Don't lie to me." Mercedes turned her head to glare at Lania out of the corner of her eyes.

  
"It's... it's something I used to -- something that Lumi does, sometimes." Lania sighed, then resumed cleaning out the deepest injury. Mercedes turned back around so she was facing the table. "It's a long story." It wasn't exactly a satisfying answer, but it was one Mercedes could live with.

  
"Well, we have a minute or two."

  
"Probably more than that," Lania started, then continued under her breath, "unless Lumi can remember where things belong for once."

  
"Is he that bad?"

  
"Not usually, I just brought out some tools and ingredients we don't use often. I had to make sure everything was perfect since we have a guest. And uh... visiting royalty."

  
"I'm not here as royalty today, you know," Mercedes pointed out.

  
"I know, but still." Lania moved on to another injury, closer to the center of Mercedes' back. Not expecting it, Mercedes flinched. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you all right?"

  
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She didn't want to hold up Lania any longer. She healed quickly, so it was important for her injuries to be seen to quickly so they would heal _properly_. She was a Hero! She could handle pain.

  
"I know you said no earlier, but do you want Lumi to take a look and try to heal you? Or at least maybe help with the pain?" Mercedes considered that for a moment. By the feel of things, it would probably be a few days before she felt up to the plans she had scheduled. With that the case, it wouldn't hurt to have some magical help along the way to feeling better.

  
"Maybe later."

  
"All right. So what about --"

  
"Wow, Lania, you really outdid yourself with the food this time." Mercedes startled at the unfamiliar male voice. She was injured and half-dressed. That was the _last_ thing she wanted to hear. She was torn between the desire to quickly cover up and the desire to hunt down the intruder. After a split second of deliberation (and reminding herself she still had a bra on, at least), she jumped to her feet, grabbed her bowguns, and turned to confront whoever had just barged in.

  
"Who's there!?" She demanded, pointing her weapons at what looked to be... a ghost of an older man? Wearing an outfit similar to Luminous's? What was going on?

  
"Whoa, relax! I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" The ghost backed up, holding his hands up. Just then, the pain from moving hit, and Mercedes hissed as she fought to keep her stance when she wanted to drop at least the one bowgun.

  
"Vieren! I told you to stay upstairs!" Mercedes glanced back over her shoulder to see that Lania had raised a scolding finger at the ghost. If he was someone Lania knew, he probably wasn't a threat. She was still flustered, and she _wanted_ to shoot something, but she lowered her weapons and went to reach for something to cover herself up.

  
"What's going on!?" Of course Luminous would choose that exact moment to come out of the kitchen to investigate the disturbance. He scanned the room, took one look at Mercedes, and turned pink up to his ears before politely looking away. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot --"

  
That was it.

  
She'd had enough.

  
"Everyone, GET OUT!" Mercedes shouted. Luminous and Vieren quickly ducked out of the main room, but Lania stayed behind, burying her face in her hands in exasperation. Mercedes took a deep breath, set her weapons back down on the table, and sat down. Neither she nor Lania said anything for a minute. "So," Mercedes started, once she felt calm enough to keep her voice level, "care to explain what that was about?"

  
"I'm sorry, Mercedes, I forgot to tell you about Vieren, he _should_ have listened, I tell him _so_ many times not to come out and scare guests." Lania moved over to stand next to Mercedes at the table rather than behind her, wringing her hands.

  
"Is there anyone else in this house I should be aware of?"

  
"Just Penny, who's probably hiding. You know how most cats are about new people. And, uh, Sentrobo, I guess." Both of whom Mercedes already knew about. At least she wouldn't get any more unpleasant surprises.

  
"Is there any particular reason why neither you, Luminous, nor Evan bothered to mention that you have a _ghost_ here?"

  
"He's, uh, not a ghost. Technically. I mean, it threw me off a lot at first too, but --"

  
"That's not the issue here!"

  
"Right. Sorry. Well, I don't think he and Evan have ever met each other. As for Lumi and me, well, I guess we figured he wouldn't show up? Since his existence is a little hard to explain. And... um, I'm going to go wash my hands again before I get back to your back, if that's okay. If you want me to bring anything, let me know. And please, feel free to help yourself to something to eat." Lania gave a quick curtsy before going into the kitchen, leaving Mercedes alone in the main room.

  
"Spirits, what a mess..." Mercedes muttered to herself. She was just planning on spending the afternoon at Luminous's house for a chance to chat and a quick training session before going on a tour of Victoria Island. She had planned on this being her *least* stressful stop, at least before she got to Henesys. But the way things were going...

  
She looked over at her shirt and jacket. The backs of both were torn and bloody. She couldn't exactly wear them in public without at least turning a few heads, and she hadn't thought to bring a spare set of clothing. She'd either have to go back to Elluel and get a change of clothes there, or ask Luminous or Lania to borrow something from them.

  
Frankly, neither option appealed to her.

  
She didn't want to go back to Elluel looking like this. Beyond simple vanity, she didn't want her people to worry about her. She especially didn't want to worry the Elders, who had already expressed some concern about how she was handling things after Lucid. And as for borrowing clothes, assuming Luminous or Lania would let her, that presented its own host of problems. They wouldn't fight correctly, for one. For another, well... while ill-fitting clothes in a different style would turn fewer heads than stained and damaged clothing, there would be no way to avoid causing some stir and some gossip, especially in somewhere as crowded as Henesys.

  
Still, borrowing clothing was probably her best bet. If not an entire outfit, at least borrowing a shawl or something else to wear on top of her clothes to hide the damaged areas would work.

  
"Okay, I'm back! Sorry about the wait." Lania stepped back into the room, and took up her place behind Mercedes again. "Are you doing okay? It doesn't look like you've had anything to eat."

  
"I'm fine."

  
"If you insist. Oh, and Lumi says he's very sorry about stepping in earlier." Lania picked up the supplies and started working again.

  
"Let him be," Mercedes muttered, then continued in a normal tone, "no, I understand. It's nothing to worry about. I most likely would have done the same if I thought there was danger." She crossed her arms, wincing slightly. "Anyway, we've delayed long enough. How much longer do you think it will be until you're done?"

  
"Only a few minutes more, I think."

  
"Good." The sooner this was done with, the sooner she could move on and be a proper guest. While, honestly, she didn't feel much like continuing a fight in this state, she could at least take the opportunity to visit with Luminous and Lania.

  
She loved Elluel. It was her home, and the source of most of her precious memories. But, in spite of only visiting it several times, and in spite of the (very recent!) chaos, she found that Lania's home made her feel almost as welcome and at ease.

  
She supposed it had to do with change. She appreciated the Cygnus Knights' assistance in defending Elluel, of course, but they... changed something about it with their presence. Memories of the curse, too, tainted her perception of Elluel. Luminous, in spite of his changes, was still fundamentally the same as he had been centuries ago, and that was comforting. Even if his magic and his appearance had changed slightly, he could still be counted on; he was someone to confide in and who confided in her.

  
Even if, honestly, she was still a bit upset with him, she still wanted to make this visit worthwhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story took on a life of its own and went off the carefully constructed outline rails I had planned, so I no longer have any idea how many chapters it will be.
> 
> That said, I hope to have the next chapter up some time around the 17th or 18th.
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for your continued support!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gone back and added a few paragraphs to the end of Chapter 2, since I wanted to elaborate on Mercedes' perspective but won't have a Chapter 4 to do it in.
> 
> I am posting this dead tired and immediately after finishing it, so I may come back some time in the next few hours to days to proofread and edit it.

"What time is it?" Mercedes' question caught Luminous by surprise. He and Lania glanced at each other, then out the window. Some time later, Lania had finished treating Mercedes' injuries, and they had all had a chance to get some food and share some conversation. Lania had lent Mercedes one of her shawls, which she was now wearing on top of her regular outfit. Mercedes had seemed quite a bit more comfortable after that.

  
As for Luminous, only very recently had the feeling of chaos started to wear off, allowing him to try to relax. "Try" being the operative word; every time he let his mind wander, his thoughts kept going straight to guilt and fear. Even if he hadn't directly harmed Mercedes, his actions had still caused her injury and later embarrassment. Exactly what he never wanted to do. It hadn't even been the Black Mage's magic, this time!

  
"I think it's around four? Maybe five?" Lania suggested.

  
"That late already?" Mercedes crossed her arms, then winced. Luminous fought the urge to reach out to offer help or comfort, but held himself back. He still felt terrible about what had happened -- both the injuring incident and then that mess with Vieren -- but Mercedes had made it quite clear she didn't want to listen to his apologies. Her attitude had also given him the impression that, for now at least, she wanted space.

  
So he would give her space. He'd already done enough harm; the last thing he wanted was to make things even worse.

  
"Is something the matter?" Luminous asked instead. "Did you have plans?" Of course she had plans, she was the ruler of the elves as well as a hero! But he had been too caught up in his own worries to think before he opened his mouth. Could he do nothing right today?

  
"I need to leave here for Perion by five if I want to keep to my original schedule." Mercedes glanced around, as if she could find a solution somewhere in the room, but showed no other signs of distress.

  
"Is it an important stop?" Lania asked. "If it isn't, you're welcome to spend the night here if you'd rather."

  
"Thank you for the offer. I think I just might take you up on it. It's probably best not to risk crossing paths with anything... too dangerous, for now." Mercedes gingerly reached up to feel around her back. Luminous froze. He never thought he would hear _Mercedes_ back down like that. Either she was feeling much worse than she let on, or she trusted him and Lania far more than he thought.

  
Whichever way, his path forward was clear.

  
"Mercedes, would you like me to try to heal you?" Luminous offered, almost dreading the response.

  
"Actually, if you wouldn't mind..."

  
"Of- of course." Luminous pushed his chair back and stood up, then walked over to Mercedes.

  
"Just let me know if you want me to do anything." Mercedes said.

  
"You shouldn't need to do anything beyond sit still."

  
"Good."

  
Luminous held his hands about an inch above Mercedes' back. He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of mana and the power of the light, letting it flow through himself before he began to heal Mercedes.

  
He abruptly stopped himself. He had unconsciously drawn on too much mana. It wouldn't exactly _hurt_ either of them, but it would be an unpleasant shock.  
He forced himself to calm down. This wasn't a battlefield. It wasn't a life or death crisis with monsters closing in. Too many times over the years he'd used healing light as a last resort, and he hated that his impulse was to attack and revitalize at the same time with a great deal of magical force but little precision or gentleness. This should have been no different from tending to his or Lania's sprains and strains and other minor injuries over the years, which he had been able to do with little difficulty, even with the Black Mage's curse. So why did he feel so nervous?

  
He knew damn well why he was nervous. But he also knew that he had a responsibility, and beyond that, he _wanted_ to help Mercedes. She deserved no less than comfort and relief, especially after the day she'd had, no thanks to him. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and tried again.  
Mercedes visibly relaxed as the light washed over her back, and gave a contented sigh. With that, Luminous also relaxed and let his shoulders down -- they had been almost up to his ears -- and found he was able to continue the healing much more naturally.

  
This was good. This was the least he could do. Even if his actions had ended up with someone he loved being hurt -- again! -- at least he was able to provide some comfort and start to make up for the harm he had inadvertently caused. That was a blessing of the light he prayed he would never lose.

  
"Is that better?" He asked, once he felt he had done all he could.

  
"Yes, thank you." Mercedes stretched a bit and turned around. "Luminous, have a seat so we can chat."

  
"Of course." He stepped over to take a seat in the chair next to Mercedes'.

  
"So, about our match earlier..." Mercedes started. Luminous tried not to flinch. He had hoped Mercedes wasn't still upset, but if she was, he couldn't blame her.

  
"Yes? What about it? I truly am s--"

  
"Stop it," Mercedes snapped. She paused, then continued in a more neutral tone. "While it was a good training exercise, I don't think we should do this again in the future."

  
"Why not?" While he certainly didn't want to be put in a position where he might hurt Mercedes again, it had been nice -- wonderful, even -- to see her again outside of formal gatherings. Between their own individual training, Mercedes' duties as the ruler of the elves, and his need to keep Lania safe, they rarely had the time or opportunity to meet outside of scheduled events.

  
"Two reasons. First of all, we're not just individual heroes. We're a team. I know you like working alone, but it's better if we practice fighting _together_ , rather than against each other."

  
"While I am by no means opposed, we all fought together as a team many times in the past. We already know how to work together, and know how to cover for one another."

  
"In the past, things were different." Mercedes looked away. "Freud... we have Evan now, instead." Luminous heard the heartbreak in her voice, and he tried not to acknowledge how much it hurt him. "That... that changes things. You... you're still you, but half of what you do on the battlefield is different now. We've all taken up Erda manipulation. And I don't even know where EunWol fits into this."

  
"This is true."

  
"And... it's best to be able to use our abilities to their full extent. Luminous, you were holding yourself back."

  
"So were you."

  
"Not in the same way. I... look, of course I don't want to hurt you, and you clearly didn't want to hurt me. That's to be expected. But I've seen you fight seriously, Luminous, and your entire rhythm was different this time."

  
"I noticed that, too," Lania spoke up. Luminous realized he had almost forgotten that she was there, he had been so focused on Mercedes. He felt awful for not including her in the conversation, but felt a little better when he realized that Penny by her ankles, so he assumed she had at least had the cat for company.

  
"So," Mercedes started, "next time, I think we should train together. Not against each other, but against the Black Mage's minions. They won't know what hit them."

  
"Just the two of us?"

  
"Just the two of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone (and especially Satsuha) for your support!


End file.
